How Crowded Is De Soto National Memorial in September?

September runs about 0.7× De Soto National Memorial's average month, which makes it a quiet month here — roughly 6% of the park's yearly visitors come in September.

In a typical September the park sees about 13,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

It is the quietest month of the year at De Soto; by contrast March, the busiest, runs about 1.6× the average — so September is the easiest time to have the place largely to yourself.

On our Best Time to Visit score September rates 87/100 ("Excellent") — the single best-rated month at De Soto, balancing crowds against daylight.

Because June, July and August together draw about 21% of annual visitors, choosing September instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 12.2 hours of daylight in September to explore — between the 10.3-hour midwinter low and the 13.7-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2023 drew 231,892 recreation visits, up 33.9% from 173,150 in 2022.

Across the past decade overall visitation has eased about 22.9%, so September may feel a touch quieter than it once did.